My Hero
by G.A. AnimeFan4
Summary: Everyone has a hero, a person they look up to. For five of the orphans living at Martha's place, that admiration belonged to one man: their Big Bro Crow. Kokoro, Hikari, Daichi, Taiga, and Ginga all met the guy in different ways. This is each of their stories told as their hero returns with his everlasting grin.
1. Kokoro

**I found that reading this out loud made it sound better. Up to you, though.**

^.^

My name is Kokoro.

Of course, growing up, I've been called 'little nerd' a lot.

But I don't mind, because it's by Crow, and I owe my life to him. He can call me whatever he wants. But to us, he will always be known as Crow 'the Bullet' Hogan, or secretly to me: Hero.

Because Crow is my hero. All of ours. This is because of one reason: he took care of us when no one else would. He defended us, stole cards and other trinkets and toys for us, and offered us a home. We had a perfect view of the unfinished Daedalus Bridge, where each night, he would tell us stories around a fire. The guy always managed to make us laugh, even when times were tough, which they always were.

And we didn't care that he had all of those markers, or that he would tease us. Crow was the only father a lot of us had ever known.

When we fell and scraped a knee, he would help us to our feet and scour the entire Sector until he found ointment and/or a band-aid. If we were threatened by a Duel Gang, Crow had a way of showing up out of now here, and would kick their butts big time. If we had a nightmare, he would stay with us for the rest of the night to comfort us.

I dunno, I guess is was simple as that he was always there for us, no matter what.

When those things, the Earthbound Immortals, sucked all of us up, I had been so scared. But from where we were, we could watch Crow do everything in his power to find us and get us back. And he did.

After that, Martha started taking care of us, once Satellite and City were connected (Crow did that, with Yusei and Jack Atlas). But he visited us every chance he had, and we tackle him in hugs. He was fun to mess around with, and when we rough-housed, he always seemed to let us win.

When we all drew him that poster for the WRGP, he had been so happy. That was just proof that we really were special to him. And he was special to us as well.

I had been so worried for him when that city appeared in the sky. I was never told much about what happened during Ark Cradle but I do know that Crow had been in danger, and was thinking about us. We were thinking about him, too.

And then, there was that day he left New Domino.

I'd cried for nights afterwards, remembering the last hug we'd all ever shared. He had cried, too, which was something we rarely saw happen. After he was gone to become an even better Duelist, all of the other orphans and I asked Martha if we could go the Poppo Time garage. She personally drove us. We knocked on the door, and Yusei opened up. He'd seemed real surprised to see a horde of kids outside his house.

After we'd attacked him in a hug, he took us all inside and called Crow, in new home, saying he'd settled in. He hooked it up to the TV so we could talk to our hero at the same time.

When Crow appeared on the screen, he'd fallen backwards at the loud screams we made, after which he'd laughed. Yusei and Martha stood nearby, smiling.

It was wonderful to see Crow's face again, and when we asked him to tell us a story, he did.

I remember when Crow first found me. I'd been rifling through the trash, trying to find something decent to eat. Nothing, of course, showed up. Everything looked gross and stank.

"Watcha doin' there, kid?"

I'd screeched and whipped around to see him. Crazy orange hair, a huge grin, and many, many markers.

"Who are you?" I'd squeaked.

He'd grinned even harder. "Name's Crow. How about you?"

"K-Kokoro."

"Nice to meet you," he'd bent down on one knee and held out a hand. "Go on, I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I tentatively reached out and shook it. "Y-Your name is C-Crow?"

"That's me," he nodded. "You alone out here?"

"I always have been," I'd murmured. "I'm an orphan."

He'd smiled. "You know something? I am, too."

"Really?"

"Yup. And I happen to know a few other kids just like you. Would you like to meet them?"

I was so young and confused and scared, so I'd timidly agreed. All the way there, I'd held his hand, my heart pounding. And for the entire trek he'd talked and talked, but he was so friendly and happy. That was strange for the world we lived in.

When we got there, Crow whistled. "Hey, little nerds! Brought a friend!"

Out of no where, a bunch of faces peeked out from behind walls, windows, and other junk. I marveled at all of them.

"It's Crow!"

"Crow's back!"

"Hi, Crow!"

"Welcome back, Crow!"

"Who's that, Crow?"

He grinned. "This is Kokoro. She's gonna stay with us all, 'k?" They'd nodded and he looked down at me. "Go on, don't be shy."

After that, I had a home. And it was all thanks to my hero, Crow.

Four years after Crow had left the city, we had grown up a lot. We were still with Martha, helping her to entertain the elderly, especially Bashford, who Crow had adopted as his 'Dad' a while back. He was interesting old man, that was for sure.

There was knock at the door, and Martha went to answer it. It was Yusei.

"Hello, Yusei," she smiled. "What brings you here?"

He whispered something to Martha, who smiled even bigger and nodded. She turned to all of us and ushered us outside.

"What's going on?" Daichi whispered to me when we were all outside.

"I dunno," I shrugged back.

I watched as Yusei crossed his arms over by his Runner and smiled. Martha joined him a second later. I was really confused; we all were. That is, until-

"What's up, little nerds?!"

We all gasped and spun around to see Crow, grinning like a maniac behind us.

All of us laughed and cried as we jumped on top of him in a hug. He chuckled and tried to wrap his arms around all of us at the same time. We'd grown, so it was even tougher for him.

Crow was back!

I think I hugged Crow the tightest. I'd missed him so much, and now, he was here! It only took him four years...

Yusei and Martha smiled to each other and observed from a distance to give us all space. We didn't really notice, though.

Because my hero was back.

^.^

**Another One-Shot I wrote due to boredom! I thought it would be cute to make it all from Kokoro's point of view. She is just so adorable! Look at that picture back up at the top! Seriously! Well, pretty please review! Thank you all so much!**

**-_G-A;)_**

**P.S. To Einstien, if you read this. Don't care if you understood or not, dude, just made it for you! As well as for melan anime, who also thinks Crow is awesome idiot like I do!**


	2. Hikari

My name is Hikari.

After that knock on Martha's door, I've been so happy. At first, I had figured it was just another one of Yusei's frequent visits, but when they dragged us all outside, me riding on Yusei shoulders out the door until he set me down with the others, we knew something was up.

"What up, little nerds?!"

I knew that voice.

In tears and laughing, we rushed up to Crow, tackling him in bear hugs. He was laughing, too, as he tried to embrace the lot of us all at once. It must've been difficult.

Out of all of us, Kokoro probably was the most emotionally attached to 'the Bullet'. When he'd first left, I'd spent the next week spending the night with Kokoro, hugging her while she cried. To tell the truth, I had been in tears as well. She had eventually gotten over that phase, but I could tell she missed him a lot.

As I wrapped my arms around Crow, next to Kokoro, I thought back to when I'd first met him.

I had been on a little quest for a bite to eat. I knew about a man who lived somewhere out by the Daedalus Bridge, and also heard he had actually edible food. Drawn by a rumbling stomach, I'd given it a shot and trekked off.

It looked like everywhere else. Like a dump of rundown scraps formed into a kind of shelter. And no one was home.

I snuck around for a little while, looking out for something to quench my hunger. Nothing...

"Hey."

I shrieked and whipped around, cowering down before a man. He was pretty tall, with wild orange hair and piercing gray eyes. The weird part was...was that he was grinning.

"I'm sorry!" I cried, backing against a wall. We were inside, so there was no where to run. "Please, don't hurt me! I'm so sorry!"

He just chuckled and shook his head. "Whatcha talking about? I'm not gonna hurt you!" he squatted down to my height, but didn't touch me. "I'm Crow. What's your name?"

"H-Hikari," I stuttered, frozen in my place. I didn't have much contact with people in my life.

"Nice to meet you, Hikari," he grinned again. "And what are you doing?"

It wasn't a mean question, but like he really didn't know and was curious. Now, I get the feeling he did know, but hadn't wanted to scare me.

"I..." No use lying, right? "I was looking...for food..."

He gave me a soft look, still smiling, though. "Hungry?" I nodded. "Good! 'Cause I happen to have something for us to snack on! You want some?"

After that, I never left Crow's side. He had fed me, and I owed my life to him.

I squeezed tighter, allowing myself to weep. Crow just lied there, letting us hug him and cry. He looked about ready to bust out balling, too. But he always was, Crow was grinning that classic grin of his.

My hero was back.

^.^

**Ta-Dah! OK, in case anyone is confused, I decided to make a chapter for EACH of the orphans and their story on how they met Crow, OK? Well, in case anyone is confused, Hikari is the girl with dark hair in a bun, wears a blue shirt, and a long pink skirt with a patch on it. She's adorable, too! (But Kokoro is my fave^_^) I hope everyone is good with this idea! Please review! Thank you!**

**-_G-A;)_**


	3. Daichi

**This is Daichi. He's the one with black hair in a bowl cut and dark blue eyes.**

^.^

My name is Daichi.

I looked up when Yusei whispered something to Martha, straining to hear, yet failing. Yusei was pretty good at speaking in a low tone.

Martha took my hand and ushered all of us orphans outside. We followed, confused as ever, murmuring among each other.

"Why is Yusei here?" Taiga whispered to me.

I shrugged. "He always visits." I turned to Kokoro. "What's going on?"

"I dunno," she answered softly.

That's when we heard it.

"What's up, little nerds?!"

I was the first to jump on top of Crow. Following closely were the others. Laughing and crying all at once, I gripped one of his arms, refused to loosen my hold. Nope. I was _not_ going to let go of him.

As I let my tears soak Crow's vest, memories of how I first met him came rushing back.

I had been on my own for a while then, fending for myself in the wasteland of Satellite. I'd only recently gotten separated from my big brother, Juro. To this day, I'd never seen him again. But somehow, I knew he was alive. And maybe I'd find him again...one day.

That night, a massive storm had hit the Sector. High winds, pelting rain, large waves, and loud thunder. I hated those.

I'd found shelter in an old warehouse. I curled up in the corner, shivering. Truthfully, I was terrified. The thunder cracked again, lighting illuminating through the windows. I whimpered and pressed harder against the metal wall.

I looked up in surprise as the huge double-doors creaked open, and someone stepped inside. He closed the place back up and placed himself in the middle of the room. He huffed and pulled the headband from his hair, wringing it out.

He was a good height, with crazy orange hair and a lot of markers.

I whined pathetically and hugged myself. The guy heard me and looked over. We stared at each other a long moment, before he grinned and put back on his band, which had two piercings.

"What's up?" he asked casually, crossing his arms.

I ducked my head.

I listened as his footsteps echoed toward me. I peered up at him as he stood over me, still smiling.

"W-Who are y-you?" I whispered.

He lifted a brow. "Name's Crow Hogan. What's your's?"

I hesitated, then answered slowly, "Daichi."

He grinned and walked so he was next to me. I tensed. "Nice to meet ya, Daichi." He slid down against the wall and sat next me. He held out a hand, and I tentatively shook it. He was treating me...like a _man_. "Firm handshake. Nice."

I smiled. "Thanks."

The thunder caught me off guard, and I squeaked. I stiffened as I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders loosely. It was Crow. He held me closely, but not too close, and said, "Just noise. Don't worry about it, okay? You alone?"

I nodded.

"Well then," he dipped his head and fixed me with playful eyes. "Why don't you come live with me and the others?"

I stared at him for a while, unsure of what he was really asking at first. But eventually, I nodded again. From then on, I had a home.

Now, we were here, with Crow. He was back from his long trip away from New Domino.

He laughed and yelled, "You're smothering me, guys!"

I didn't care, really.

My hero was back.

^.^

**And Daichi is done! Yay^_^ I like these. The orphans are so cute! And we all know Crow loves 'em! Well, please R & R to tell me what you think, OK? Thanks!**

**-_G-A;)_**


	4. Taiga

**OK, Taiga! He's the one with the tan ponytail beneath a purple bandanna, and he wears a gray vest.**

^.^

My name is Taiga.

I smirked when Crow said we were smothering him. I mean come on, he was just as glad to see us. You could tell, the way he was just allowing us to lie atop him in a giant hug. And really, we were quite a bit bigger now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Martha and Yusei by his Runner, smiling at us all, murmuring to each other. So that's what he had whispered to her. That Crow was waiting outside as a surprise.

Best. Surprise. Ever.

As I held tightly to the opposite arm Daichi was, I remembered the time when I had first come across my big bro Crow.

I had been on my own for my whole life, and in that time, I'd learned how to either start a fight, or steer clear of one, depending on the opponent. See, I'd kind of managed to get myself among 'the wrong crowd', as some would put it.

I was hanging with some older kids, who liked to go out on nightly raids. We would go out and jack food, cards, whatever we could muster up. Dodging Sector Security and other Satellite inhabitants.

One night, we managed to get ourselves into a vault that belonged to Security. Personally, I was extremely nervous.

The leader of the gang of kids, Katsu, held a flashlight and led us down the long hall.

I looked over my shoulder constantly, freaked out. But I tried not to show it. This was the only place I was being even remotely accepted into, even if the older guys did treat me like trash often.

Just as Katsu began to pick his first lock, there was a shout.

"What are you kids doin'?"

"Run!" everyone turned and ditched. Someone pushed me against the safes and I stumbled to the floor. I had dropped the card I had just picked up as I slammed down hard.

"Whoa!" came the rough voice again. "You okay?"

I scrambled to feet and made a mad dash for freedom. But before I could make it even two feet, a hand grabbed the back of my vest and stopped me. I peeked behind my shoulder sheepishly to see a heavily marked face looking back.

This was _not_ Sector Security.

"Look, I wasn't gonna take anything!" I screeched. "Honest!"

The man rolled his gray eyes and grinned. "I ain't gonna tell! Please, I mean look at me! I'm a thief, can't you tell? But that isn't gonna stop me from telling you that stealing is wrong. What are doing trying to get a mark at your age?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I am not trying to get arrested! I'm just desperate!" I realized I was on the verge of tears.

Crow sighed and let me go, but I didn't run. He bent down and scooped up the card I'd dropped. He handed it to my and grinned again. "You dropped this, kid."

I stared at it a minute before taking it. "T-Thanks."

"So what's your name?" he asked me as I looked the card over.

"Taiga," I told him bravely.

"You an orphan?"

I gaped at him. "Y-Yeah... How did you know?"

He smiled. "You know Taiga, I'm an orphan myself."

"Really?"

"Sure," he nodded. "And I happen to know a couple others a lot like you. Tell you what," he kneeled down to my height and put his hands on my shoulders. "Why don't you come and meet 'em?"

"What?"

"Yeah, you can come by. You can even stay, if you like."

Holding back new tears, I smiled at him. His offer was just too good to turn down.

I grinned up at Crow as we all lied sprawled on the ground outside of Martha's place. He was my big bro Crow. 'The Bullet'. The thief. The one who had given me friends and a better home.

My hero was back.

^.^

**Taiga! This one is now done! Please R & R! Thank you all SOOOOOOO much!**

**-****_G-A;)_**


	5. Ginga

**Ginga is the one with dark maroon, spiky hair, yellow eyes, and orange jacket.**

^.^

My name is Ginga.

As I held Crow around his waist and buried my head into him on the other side of Kokoro, I was only getting closer to crying. I never cried unless...unless it was now.

"Yeah, yeah, I love ya all, too!" Crow laughed, trying to hug all of us at once. Impossible. "I can't breathe, but I love ya!"

Oh, please. That only made us hug harder.

I sniffed and said quietly, "We missed you, Crow."

"I missed you all, too," he assured. "I thought of you every day, you hear? Now please don't make me cry!"

We all giggled. Same old Crow.

I let my mind wander back to when I met Crow for the first time.

I'd wanted to get a better view of the area of Satellite I was in. Yeah...I'd managed to get myself lost in a unfamiliar expanse.

So, I'd made the decision to climb up the nearest and tallest thing nearby. That happened to be an old construction site. It was once going to be a pretty big building, but it was never finished, and all there was was the metal frame. Like an enormous jungle-gym.

Or at least, that's how I saw it.

I made it up about three stories (-_G-A;)_ Yes, that is _so_ possible...maybe...) before looking down. I hugged the closest beam, fear setting in at full force. I was so high...so high...so far down... What if I fell?!

I sat up there, frozen stiff, for about two hours. The feeling in my foot was lost and my fingers grew numb. I was shivering, but I continued to hold on for dear life, barely breathing.

"Help...," I whispered.

"What are you doing up there?!"

I almost had a heart-attack and let go. But I returned to grasping hold instantly. I risked a glance downward to see a guy craning his neck, facing me. He had orange hair, and seemed to really like the color. I could also see he was a marked man.

"I-I'm s-stuck!" I cried.

"Hold on!" he called. "I'll be right up!"

I watched in both astonishment and anxiety as he scaled the beams, poles, and abandoned work planks. Soon enough, he was at my side, crouched on the same brace I was. He looked me over carefully.

"You okay?" he asked.

I shut my eyes. "I'm scared!" I admitted.

I felt him put a hand on my shoulder. "Get on."

"Huh?" I looked up with wide eyes.

He grinned. "Hop on my back. I'll get you down."

I was terrified, but gradually somehow got on his back, arms around his neck, and he hoisted my up. He stood and peeked at me. "Ready?"

"No."

"Good!" he grinned even bigger and took off. "Count to three!"

"One," I squealed. I closed my eyes again. "Two." I felt us go airborne a second, then the sound of boots against metal. "Three."

"Down!"

I opened my eyes and gasped, seeing we were on the ground again.

"See?" Crow set me down. "Promised I'd get you down."

"Thanks," I breathed. "Who are you?"

"Crow," he told me, and I shook his hand, feeling like an adult almost. "And how about you, kid?"

I bit my lip. "Ginga."

"Alone?"

"Huh?"

"You got a family or...?"

"No...I'm alone."

Crow sighed, but smiled. "Can I offer you place to stay?"

"What?"

He repeated it for me. "I mean, I know a few kids like you. Orphans. Would you like to meet them? They're real good, you know. How 'bout it?"

I had a home. A real home; Satellite-wise that it.

I made friends, and had my big bro Crow in my life.

Back at Martha's, I hugged tighter and smiled, letting tears stream. He was back. I'd missed him so much.

My hero was back.

^.^

**And Ginga's is done! I was really bored tonight, so I decided to upload all the chapters at once. It won't get me as many reviews, but hey, I don't care. As long as people read my work, I'm happy :D I've enjoyed writing this! **

**Well, please R & R! It means more than you know! Thank you all!**

**-_G-A;)_**


	6. Crow

Eh, you all know me already. The name's Crow Hogan.

I tried my hardest to hug all those little nerds, but they had all grown like weeds, and it was real hard. I had Kokoro, Hikari, and Ginga my my chest and Daichi and Taiga glued to my arms. They were all in tears and laughing at the same time. It was so good to see them again.

Off to the side, I could see Yusei and Martha smiling in our direction. I'd actually been nervous about visiting the kids again. But after a talk with Yusei, he'd thrown me my helmet and dragged my to Martha's place. I'm glad he did.

My years away from New Domino had been good. I'd made quite the name for myself as a Duelist, and I enjoyed it.

But my place was here. With Yusei, Martha, and the kids.

Maybe I'd go into police work again, or keep on Dueling. But at that moment, it didn't exactly matter. Because I was pinned to the ground by five children who I had truly thought about each and every day I was gone.

I looked at Taiga and thought about how I'd found the kid. He'd found himself in a wrong crowd, stealing. That wasn't the way to go. Trust me, I knew. After all, my face told the whole story.

Then I looked at Ginga. I thought about how I'd rescued him from the top of that unfinished building, and how scared he had been. I recalled telling him to count to three.

Next to Hikari, who I'd caught searching my place for food in general. And when I'd offered it to her, she hadn't been able to reject it, she was so hungry.

After which I observed Daichi. I remembered discovering him in that warehouse during the storm and how frightened he'd been. I'd hadn't been able to resist the urge to want to comfort him.

Last was little Kokoro. She was the youngest, and the most attached to me. I'd found her in the worst parts of Satellite, rifling around for food and a decent shelter. When I'd taken her to meet the others, she'd been so shy.

Now, looking at them all, I realized just how much they had grown.

And I was so proud of them.

I sighed. "Hey, I seriously can't breathe. Come on, let's head inside! You all can tell me what I missed!"

They reluctantly shuffled off of me and I stood with a grin plastered on my marked face. Kokoro and Hikari took each of my hands, and they all led me through the door inside. Yusei and Martha followed from a distance. All the way, they rambled off little anecdotes about the past few years. I listened intently, happiness filling my heart.

And you know what? These little nerds were my heroes. They really and honestly were.

I was home, back with my heroes.

^.^

**That's it! Crow at the ending was OK, right? I hope this was good! Please review! I really appreciate it! Thank you all SOOOOOO much! 'Till next Fic :P**

**-_G-A;)_**


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